BILLCSMUSIC BLOG

The Acoustic Treatment: “Hey Brother” by @Eurielle_Music and “Latch” by Nick Hagelin @NickIsTheTruth

From two terrific new talents, we have acoustic versions of songs which of course are best known as pop/dance club hits.

EURIELLE, “Hey Brother”

Hot on the heels of her enthralling “Carry Me” short film comes UK singer Eurielle showing off her piano prowess with her take on Avicii’s “Hey Brother”. It’s a great choice to strip the busy production down to nothing and sing a song first sung by a man (Dan Tyminsky of Alison Krauss & Union Station). It also shows what a fine song it is outside of the bluegrass-inspired original melody. Sounding now more like a classical folk song, it allows us to see Eurielle perform, nailing it with her outstanding voice. And we’ll be hearing more of Eurielle when a full album or EP release comes our way later in the year. Watch below.

NICK HAGELIN, “Latch”

“Latch” has already been covered loads of times since its original release mid-2012 as recorded by Disclosure and Sam Smith. I love that original (which got to #1 on my personal chart) and when Nick Hagelin posted about his own acoustic guitar version, I knew it could be a perfect fit for him. Recording another version of that song is made even more difficult by the fact that Sam Smith did his own quintessential stripped away version which first appeared on his Nirvana EP. But Nick’s version is as solid as I would expect, performed live and outdoors, sealing the deal with his beautiful falsetto. And Nick always lends his good humour to his videos, even when outside forces beyond his control are at play (watch below and see what I mean). Writing about “Latch” is also a very good excuse indeed for me to refer you to Nick’s new and free EP City Lights, available from his website, featuring “Trust It” (currently #21 on my chart) and the fun “Finest Clothes In Town” (which got to #5 a while back).

It’s All Within You: “Superheroes” by @TheScript

THE SCRIPT, “Superheroes”

The Script return with the lead single from their upcoming fourth album No Sound Without Silence, “Superheroes”. Moving away from their well-established ballads but retaining their ability to empower, the trio has crafted with “Superheroes” an R&B-inspired rock anthem with an immediate singalong chorus that their rabid hardcore fans probably already know! I’ve seen the group’s powerful performance in concert and “Superheroes” also bodes well for The Script after what I would say was a less memorable (albeit successful) third album. These guys are taking in all of what they’ve learned over the years and they know how to deliver. Give a listen below. It’s now available on iTunes and I’m sure much radio play is forthcoming.

Making Music Memories: “Zeppelin” by @EliLieb

ELI LIEB, “Zeppelin”

Iowa born singer/songwriter Eli Lieb has created one of those songs that will become ingrained in the musical part of your being after you hear it just once. It’s “Zeppelin”, and while some people might think “why Zeppelin?”, others will think “as in Led Zeppelin?” – and then “but why is Eli Lieb singing about Led Zeppelin?” Well Eli hasn’t risen to new heights for nothing after five years of You Tube recognition, a 2011 self-titled independent album, connections with the likes of Adam Lambert and Cheyenne Jackson, and his powerful 2013 song about male romance “Young Love”. He’s zeroed in on how we sometimes relate to relationships, gay or otherwise, and that is through music and our favourite performers. In this case, his video unfolds below referencing back to great times listening to songs by Led Zeppelin. And while it seem easy to include pop culture in the lyrics, Eli convincingly makes you listen to hear how references to Led Zeppelin songs unfold. “Zeppelin” is destined to put Eli Lieb’s name into the ears of the 18-45 set in the same way that 5 Seconds Of Summer now make the younger set think of American Apparel underwear, and all you have to do is lend it your eyes and ears. It’s available on iTunes.

The Power of Connection: @NeverestMusic Returns with “Starlight”

NEVEREST, “Starlight”

While their beloved “Nevies” await an EP/album and future concert dates, Toronto trio Neverest have dropped their fourth single in the span of a year, the uptempo and upbeat “Starlight”. The song is sandwiched between the punch of their harder anthems “Rewind” and the free download ‘Take Cover”, and the softer emotional pop of “Immortalized”. To be quite honest, I didn’t care for “Starlight” upon first listens. But I kept coming back to it, thinking about the romantic imagery and how it makes you feel to be thought of as part of something that’s intangible and eternal. It’s pure bliss and serenity as sung by Spee in his gorgeous high register. Then, take a gander at the new video for the song (which has a nice twist, I might add), full of great, familiar Toronto scenery and romance – and I can’t knock a video that shows a record store and vinyl in hand 😛 “Starlight” could also be the ticket these great guys need for the most radio play they could see since “About Us” and “Everything”, and it’s now available on iTunes.

You WILL Smile: “We’ve Got Love” by Australia’s @CalanMaiMusic

CALAN MAI, “We’ve Got Love”

Calan Mai is the stage name for Australian entertainer Jordan Lawrence, and he’s taken the perfectly agreeable folk/pop of “We’ve Got Love” to an entirely different level with its video. It’s a downright goofy, low budget (well except for the bit of animation, maybe) free-for-all that might remind you more of community theatre than a pop music video. But a great time will be had by all, it will not only make you smile, but may cause fits of laughter as well. Calan Mai has an album coming in August called Days Of The Rock Face (which hopefully will get worldwide release), and I have no idea if it will contain more songs with the whimsical good nature of “We’ve Got Love”. But if you need that one thing to make you smile today, you will find it with Calan Mai’s “We’ve Got Love” video below. And keep your eyes on the apple!!!

Get to Know @Wrabel with “Into The Wild” and @DJAfrojack’s “Ten Feet Tall”

WRABEL, “Into The Wild” and “Ten Feet Tall” (with Afrojack)

25 year old New York native Stephen Wrabel is following a similar path of fellow New Yorker Matthew Koma. Wrabel is connecting with audiences as the voice behind Afrojack’s “Ten Feet Tall”, already a Top 20 hit in the UK and the Netherlands, and prominently featured in a Budwiser ad during Super Bowl. To me, “Ten Feet Tall” is 2014’s “Don’t You Worry Child” or “Clarity”, an uptempo emotional ballad that will endure long after it leaves the charts, and largely because of Wrabel’s affecting vocal. And you can tell that Wrabel goes way beyond this song by checking out songs from his debut EP for Island called Sideways, including the softer version of “Ten Feet Tall”. “Into The Wild” (co-written with Drew Pearson and the amazing Dan Black) in particular showcases his high range and there is no question that his identifiable voice and songwriting style will serve him well on his forthcoming album, due later this year. Listen to “Into The Wild” below and check out the lyric video for “Ten Feet Tall”.

Buh-Bye: Several Ways to Say “Thanks For Nothing” Courtesy of @BrandynBurnette

BRANDYN BURNETTE, “Thanks For Nothing”

He’s already co-penned songs with Diane Warren and Lauren Christy, co-wrote Hot Chelle Rae’s “Don’t Say Goodnight”, and collaborated with duo MKTO on their self-titled album. And after some recent touring, somehow St. Louis native Brandyn Burnette is making room for a solo career with his single “Thanks For Nothing”. I love songs that lay it on the line, because they help make others stronger when dealing with relationships. And Brandyn doesn’t mince words when he comes up with other ways of saying “Thanks For Nothing” in the song. With an unexpected pedigree – Brandyn’s father is singer O’Bryan, he of 1982’s “The Gigolo” fame – Brandyn is traversing both R&B and pop, having already recorded a mixtape as well. And a recently minted deal with Warner Brothers records looks promising. “Thanks For Nothing” is a great start. Don’t let the weakish beginning of the song deter you – there’s a genuine hook and playful melody all waiting to be stuck in your head as an end-of-summer song. Get “Thanks For Nothing” on iTunes and watch the lyric video below.

If You Dare: Look Inside @MelanieLBBH Melanie Martinez’s “Dollhouse”

MELANIE MARTINEZ, “Dollhouse”

Somehow like others I’ve missed Melanie Martinez’s major label debut arriving on the scene. I suspect with the success of Lorde, Lana Del Rey, and Charli XCX that Melanie’s release has been overshadowed. But that’s no reason not to notice now. Her EP The Dollhouse arrived in May on Atlantic Records, and she’s one of the few contestants from “The Voice” to land on a major label. You will remember her inspired and original takes on Britney Spears’ “Toxic” and The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” from two years back. “Dollhouse” captures her unique style and chameleon appearance perfectly, and it’s a pretty creepy visit inside of the outwardly perfect family only to find things are hardly perfect on the inside. The video has some striking images which would work just fine at Hallowe’en. Take a look and listen, and get it on iTunes.

You Can Dance For Inspiration: “No Fun” by @ThePresets

THE PRESETS, “No Fun”

Following 2012’s album Pacifica and the single “Goodbye Future” from earlier this year, “No Fun” could be one of the best and most anthemic songs yet from Australian electronic music duo The Presets. The single was launched by a “cube” video – six videos all in one directed by Barnaby Roper, which you can purchase on Google Play. I have not yet seen the cube project, but it was quickly followed by a video surrounding two protagonists, stories of which are apparently part of the cube. So we have a dancer venting in the streets of L.A. while a young woman has a trippy bath, and somehow the images of the two merge. The song itself is a funk-laced club banger, an anthem that Presets fans all over the world will have vocalize at the band’s intense live shows. Let’s hope there’s more to come like this from Jules and Kim – because “No Fun” quite frankly is a whole lot of fun in my books!

Weird Shapes & Dreamscapes: “Prophets” by @RiverTiber (video)

RIVER TIBER, “Prophets” (video)

I was pleased to see another video surface by the talented River Tiber (aka masterful multi-instrumentalist and videographer Tommy Paxton-Beesley). “Prophets” was initially heard on the now-unavailable free download album Synapses, one of my favourites from last year, and I’ve heard it a few times in concert too. As EP’s and singles slowly resurface of songs from that album, I think we will see it reissued or reshaped for release later in the year. In any case, the video for “Prophets” is definitely a weird dreamscape of images which could all be connected to each other, or mean something important, as the title characters of the song might imply. The repeated images glide along with the variety of electronic movements within the song, and though the video gets to be a bit much towards the end of “Prophets”, it’s certainly memorable. Get it on iTunes (I’ve also read that a 7″ vinyl might be forthcoming).